Double Live-Blog: Oregon-Arizona St. 2nd Half/LSU Alabama 4th Quarter

Oregon-ASU updates in regular font; LSU-Bama updates in Italics.

8:16 pm: Alabama is forced to punt, and LSU will get the ball back with a chance to take back the lead.

8:20 pm: Byrd gets another catch deep downfield, and LSU is inside the 40 yard line.

8:23 pm: LSU is forced into a fourth down, but Colt David nails the 49-yard field goal to tie the game, 27-27. LSU was given a potential knockout punch, but they’ve gotten right back up. What a game.

8:28 pm: Parker-Wilson manages to scramble out of the pocket and get a first down on third and 4. What’s worse, Chavis Jackson is called for holding, anther LSU penalty. The Tigers now have 12 penalties against them, costing 111 yards.

8:30 pm: What a catch by Matt Caddell! Parker-Wilson throws a deep pass, and Caddell dive to make the big catch inside the 20.

BUT…the replay booth reverses the call! It’s ruled an incomplete pass. Looking at the replay, it could have gone either way, but its a big blow to the Tide, who now face 3rd and 19.

8:35 pm: Bama goes conservative on 3rd and long, opting for the screen. Dorsey chases Jonathan Lowe down, and the Tide will have to punt.

8:39 pm: After Oregon kick the opening kickoff out of bounds, Arizona is driving the ball efficiently to start the second half.

8:40 pm: LSU is forced into a fourth and inches. You know exactly what Les Miles is going to do next–give it to He…whaaa?? LSU is called for a false start, and now they must punt. In addition, the Tigers are called for a personal foul.

8:43 pm: TOUCHDOWN! Javier Arenas takes the punt, and he finds a huge seam up the middle of the field, going practically untouched into the endzone on the punt return. Alabama takes a 34-27 lead off of yet another big mistake by LSU. You know what? I’m now rooting for chaos. MAO!

8:46 pm: Arizona State kicks a field goal. Oregon’s lead has shrunk to 21-16…but they’re in position to score after a the ensuing kickoff brings the Ducks near midfield.

8:48 pm: Richard Hickson is open in the middle again, but he drops the ball this time, Second down for LSU.

8:49 pm: Arizona State takes over from their own 6 yard line, from what I think is an Oregon punt. I’ve been engrossed in the other game, so I honestly don’t know.

8:51 pm: LSU is forced into a 3-and-out, giving their opponent good field position…

8:52 pm:…and so is Arizona State.

8:54 pm: TOUCHDOWN! What a run by Johnathan Stewart! He broke through an arm tackle, and he outran everybody before busting through one more tackle for the end zone. Oregon takes a 28-16 lead.

8:55 pm: LSU will get at least one more chance, with the ball and less than five minutes left.

8:57 pm: LSU is driving the ball to midfield, thanks to two big catches by Brandon Lafell.

8:58 pm: Early Doucet gets a good pass from Flynn, but the defensive back strips the ball out for an incompletion.

8:59 pm: On 3rd and 5, Flynn finds a receiver on a quick slant for a first down.

9:00 pm: Chris McGaha has had a big game tonight. He catches another big pass, this time down the middle, and Arizona State is driving again.

9:02 pm: TOUCHDOWN! Early Doucet makes the catch on 4th and 4, and he shake off the entire Alabama secondary to waltz into the end zone. The game is now tied , 34-34, with 2:49 left. How amazing is this?

9:04 pm: Oregon gets the ball back, but…on third down, a receiver drops the ball again. That’s his third dropped pass today, and the Ducks must punt.

9:06 pm: John Parker Wilson is sacked for the 6th time. The Tide now face 3rd and long.

9:07 pm: FUMBLE! LSU runs the all-out blitz, Wilson fumbles the ball, it rolls down inside the 5 yard line, and LSU recovers. What a turn of events. Mr. Wilson, you must secure that football. Don’t hold it so far from your body when being tackled.

9:12 pm: TOUCHDOWN! Jacob Hester dives into the endzone for the score. LSU now takes a 41-34 lead with less than 90 seconds left. Truly insane.

9:15 pm: The insanity continues…Wilson barely escapes the pocket, but he then gets a huge run to bring the Tide to midfield. 1:11 left.

9:16 pm: Jonathan Xenon comes thisclose to ending the game with an interception, but after another incomplete pass, Alabama face 4th down anyway.

9:19 pm: Keith Brown gets his hands on it…but Steltz jars the ball out! It’s an incomplete pass, and LSU escapes again!

Let me say this about the LSU win: In this stretch of four games, the Tigers have had every reason to lose each of their last four games, but no one told them that, they stood up to theses challenges, and they came back from three of these games to steal a win–and make no mistake, they have stolen these games against Florida, Auburn, and Alabama–and they now have a pretty clear road to Atlanta. LSU wins, 41-34.

Now..we can finally return to Oregon-ASU.

9:24 pm: Oregon scores again to end the third quarter. As we enter the fourth quarter of play, Oregon has taken a 35-16 lead. The Ducks have shut down the Arizona State offense in the second half.

9:27 pm: Arizona State, desperately in need of a score, goes three and out again. Oregon is taking control of this game.

9:33 pm: A potentially game changing series of events: Dennis Dixon is injured, and has been (at least temporarily) taken out of the game.

9:36 pm: Brady Leaf comes into the game, and he promptly goes three and out.

9:37 pm: Arizona State pinned back near their own endzone, but Michael Jones makes a huge catch 30 yards downfield. Arizona State is now in the hurry-up offense, with ten minutes left and in need of three touchdowns.

9:39 pm: Oregon is called, rightfully, for defensive holding, and the Sun Devils have a first down in Oregon territory.

9:42 pm: After three incompletions, Arizona State goes for it on fourth and 10…and Mcgaha gets big catch and an even bigger run afterwards to get a first down insode the 20.

9:43 pm: INTERCEPTION! On the very next play, a miscommunication leads to Carpenter throwing the ball into a crowd of 3 Oregon players. A receiver must have completely missed his route.

One of the things I don’t understand: both teams have excellent, speedy running backs, but both teams seem to have abandoned the run.

9:45 pm: Brady Leaf is still in the game, but now he’s handing it off to Johnathan Stewart, as the Ducks are trying to waste some clock.

9:49 pm: UPSET WATCH: Florida State 7, Boston College 0, Halftime.

9:53 pm: On the first play for Arizona State’s drive, Michael Jones catches another deep pass, and he runs to the 11 yard line. Another insane catch by Jones.

9:54 pm: TOUCHDOWN! Carpenter finds his tight end in the end zone. Rudy Carpenter now has 334 yards passing. Oregon leads, 35-23 after ASU takes the extra point, instead of the two point conversion that would have reduced the deficit to a TD, two pointer, and field goal.

9:56 pm: 5:10 remaining. Brady Leaf is still in the game.

9:59 pm: Oregon throws three passes, but two incompletions force a punt for Oregon. What was Mike Bellotti thinking? Oregon needed to eat up clock.

10:01 pm: What is possibly the most insane play of the game. Rudy Carpenter throws a deep pass under pressure, throws into triple coverage, and his tight end makes a spectacular leap for the catch, runs after the catch, but then fumbles as he’s brought down inside the Oregon 30, and the Ducks recover. That almost certainly seals the game for Oregon.

10:08 pm: The Ducks have managed to run the clock down to 21 seconds, ending any hope ASU had in this game.

10:10 pm: The game fittingly ends with a sack, as Oregon wins, 35-23. With this win, Oregon controls their Pac-10 destiny, moves to at least #4 in the nation, and ends Arizona State’s title hopes (barring, of course, an even more insane final month to the season. A good game, but the LSU game stole the show in another great day of college football.

Double Live Blog: Oregon-Arizona St. 1st Half/LSU-Alabama 3rd Quarter

Tonight, Arizona State will get perhaps its biggest test of the season when they play in Autzen Stadium against the Ducks. Dennis Erickson, welcome back to the Vietnamese boathouse.

ALL Oregon-ASU updates will be in normal font; LSU Alabama updates will be in Italics.

6:56 pm: I understand that USF-Cincinatti, which is still in the fourth quarter, has not been taken off of ESPN in favor of the Oregon game. what I don’t understand, however, is why neither of the games can be put on ESPN2 temporarily in favor of…Nascar Busch Series racing. I’m okay with stock car racing, but it’s their minor leagues, for crying out loud!

7:05 pm: TOUCHDOWN! Dennis Dixon finds a wide open receiver downfield, who walks in for the score. Oregon leads 7-0 less than 90 seconds into the game, The only reason I know this is because of the CBS halftime show. ESPN, get it together and put the Oregon game on somewhere!

7:07 pm: UPSET WATCH: Michigan will hold onto a 28-24 vcomeback victory over Michigan State.

UPSET WATCH #2: Navy beats Notre Dame for the first time in 44 years.

UNC WATCH: The Tar Heels win, 16-13. Their insanely slim bowl hopes are still alive, at 3-6 and with winnable games against NC State, Georgia Tech, and Duke.

7:12 pm: The biggest game of the day is in the middle of the fourth quarter, and it isn’t on any channel. There is no excuse.

7:13 pm: Once again, thanks to CBS: Johnathan Stewart scores on the screen pass, as Oregon takes a 14-3 lead in the first quarter.

7:25 pm: Alabama has the lead despite having an bad offensive game overall, including -11 yards rushing. Meanwhile, LSU has their vest possession result since taking a 17-3 lead: a 3-and-out and punt.

7:29 pm: The Tide is throwing quick passes to Terry Grant in the flat, and so far he’s been on target.

7:30 pm: Alabama faces a third and short, and Parker-Wilson finds McCoy on an out route.

7:32 pm: Oregon takes a 21-3 lead, and they’ve managed to take this game out of hand before anyone has had a chance to see it. Damn you, ESPN, who is now pre-empting the game for ESON2 in favor of DRAG RACING.

7:34 pm: LSU continues to put pressure on John Parker-Wilson, and a sack on third down forces an Alabama punt.

7:39 pm: After the screen pass is tipped twice in the air, Javier Arenas very nearly gets Alabama their fourth interception. Fortunately for LSU, the ball hits the ground before he can cling it.

7:42 pm: Flynn overthrows the dump pass, forcing LSU to punt.

7:43 pm: The Cincy-USF game comes to an end, and in the 2nd quarter we FINALLY get to see Oregon-Arizona State, in which Oregon has a 21-10 lead.

7:44 pm: The Ducks are forced into a 3-and-out after Dixon’s sideline pass sails out of bounds. Arizona State gets a decent return and will have great field position.

7:46 pm: Keegan Herring gets a big first down run, and an equally important block to turn a potential sack into a QB scramble by Rudy Carpenter that brings Arizona State into field goal range. Admittedly, this is the first time I’ve gotten to see the Sun Devils, and I must say that this team is very, very fast.

7:48 pm: Nearly everyone in Autzen Stadium is wearing yellow. It almost what it would look like if God had peed into the stands. You know I didn’t mean that, right, God?…um, right?…

7:53 pm: Arizona State settle for a field goal. Oregon’s lead is 21-13.

7:53 pm: What looks like a fumble turns out to be an incompletion, but LSU has to punt the ball anyway.

7:56 pm: The screens that led to Oregon touchdowns in the first quarter are now being clamped down in the second quarter. A good adjustment by the Sun Devils defense.

7:57 pm: ASU nearly gets the interception, but they force another three and out. With the defense stalling the Ducks and having scored the last ten points, Arizona St. seems to have the momentum.

7:59 pm: Alabama is driving the ball well with some more quick passing.

8:00 pm: Just as I say that, LSU’s Chavis jackson very nearly gets his second interception of the night.

Another first down, and the Tide are in LSU territory. Nick Walker, Bama’s Tight end, has been the go-to guy in this drive.

8:01 pm: Another LSU penalty, this time a personal foul facemask, puts the Tide into the red zone.

8:03 pm: Oregon gets a huge 3-and-out of their own, and should get goos field position after the punt.

8:04 pm: TOUCHDOWN! Keith Brown completely fakes out his defender in the middle, and John Parker-Wilson finds him wide open in the end zone. Alabama takes a 27-17 lead, and the sound of 92,000 screaming fans has reached a deafening pitch.

8:06 pm: FUMBLE! Dixon and Johnathan Stewart botch the handoff, and after a scramble to pick the ball up, the Sun Devils finally come up with it near midfield.

8:08 pm: TOUCHDOWN! Just when it looks like Alabama has all the momentum in this game, Matt Flynn throws a deep pass to a wide open Byrd for a 61 yard score. LSU cuts their deficit to 27-24.

8:10 pm: After forcing a 3rd down and 20+ yards, Oregon stupidly commits a late hit to give Arizona State a first down.

8:14 pm: Arizona State misses a field goal, their kicker’s first miss of the season. The first half ends, and Oregon holds onto a 21-13 lead. The Sun Devils haven’t taken advantage of the opportunities that the Ducks have given them.

Phase 1: Double Live Blog. Phase 2: ?. Phase 3: Profit!

Today’s UNC-Maryland game is ESPNU today, which is God’s way of telling me “Mike, do not watch this terrible game.” What his means for you is that Digital headbutt will have not one, but Two Live Blogs today.

First, we will cover #3 LSY at #17 Alabama at 5:00 pm ET. Nick Saban will be facing his former team for the first time, the winner will have sole possession of first place in the SEC West, and today is, quite possibly, the last time that LSU will truly be on upset alert until the SEC Championship game.

Overlapping that game will be a game with even bigger implications, #5 Oregon hosting #4 Arizona State at 6:45 ET. With USC and Cal out of the Pac 10 championship picture, the winner of this game has the inside track toward the Pac 10 championship, and perhaps even the BCS Championship game. The Ducks have been impressive all year, and would be undefeated if not for an ill-timed fumble against Cal. Meanwhile, Arizona State’s surprise run in Dennis Erickson’s first year could be their best chance for a national title before the inevitable Erickson departure/massive NCAA probation.

 So stay tuned for the live blogs…because we know you’ve got nothing better to do for five hours.

What to Watch: College Football Week 7

#12 Virginia Tech at Duke (12:00 ET, R/LF Sports): Duke has played in several close games, and seem to be due for a win. If there’s anything we can predict about the ACC, it’s that it’s unpredictable. Can Thaddeus Lewis and the Blue Devils pull off a huge upset at home?

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HA! Just kidding. They’re gonna get clobbered. But I had you going for a second, didn’t I?

#18 Illinois at Iowa (12:00 ET, ESPN2): I battle any sex or any race, you beatin’ me is like Billy Crystal playin’ Scarface! I can’t see it, I’m blind to the eyes, I came up in your face Oops Pow Surprise! OHHHHHHHH!!!

Illinois will win, unless Iowa’s offense is reminded that the season is underway.

Georgia Tech at Miami (12:00 ET, ESPN): Tech has been very disappointing, with 3 conference losses already. But that doesn;t mena they can upset the Hurricanes and throw yet another wrench into the clusterf— that is the ACC.

#7 South Carolina at North Carolina (3:30 ET, ABC): As always, the live blog is on Tar Heel Mania. Seemingly every big team has been the recipient of an upset, except for South Carolina. Everyevery little team has had a chance at the big upset, except for North Carolina. The time has come.

#1 LSU at #17 Kentucky (3:30 ET, CBS): Kentucky’s biggest game of the year, while a loss for LSU (as predicted by the Lou Holtz pep talk) would make the BCS picture even murkier. This is almost certainly the biggest game of the day. You know, in case you aren’t interested in non-conference matchup between two pseudo rivals, one of whom has a losing record.

#4 Boston College at Notre Dame (3:30 ET, NBC): The National Notre Dame Schadenfruede continues…

#11 Missouri at #6 Oklahoma (6:30 ET, FSN): The Tigers have been surprising everyone this year, but they get their biggest test in Norman today. Can Chase Daniel stay out of trouble against the Sooners?

#22 Auburn at Arkansas (7:45 ET, ESPN): Darren McFadden is going to have a big game tonight. He better, or else Houston Nutt will need to text message his letter of resignation on the sideline.

Games To Watch: College Football Week 5

• UNC at #17 Virginia Tech (12:00 ET, R/LF Sports): As with all UNC games, I’ll be live blogging this on Tar Heel Mania. UNC has to play well on defense from the beginning (so as not to play from behind), and not turn the ball over if they want any real chance in their ACC road opener.
• #6 Cal at #11 Oregon (3:30 ET, ABC): Both of these teams average over 40 points per game. It’ll be an exciting game to watch, and the winner of this game will likely be the team to challenge USC for the Pac-10 title.
• #13 Clemson at Georgia Tech (3:30 ET, ABC): Georgia Tech has two tough conference losses facing the undefeated Tigers. But this is exactly the kind of situation where Tommy Bowden teams begin to lose winnable games.
• #22 Alabama at Florida State (5:00 ET, CBS): Wow that was fast. Deity Nick Saban loses one overtime game, and already the Bammer faithful want him fired.
• #1 USC at Washington (8:00 ET, ABC): Both of USC’s losses last year were on the road against Pac-10 opponents. But unless freshman QB Jake Locker has the game of his life, Washington has little chance.
• Auburn at #4 Florida (8:00 ET, ESPN): Florida is likely looking for revenge after Auburn handed them their only loss of 2006 at Jordan-Hare Stadium. With Auburn’s offense struggling, the Gators will likely blowout the Tigers.

Games To Watch, College Football Week 3

Virginia at UNC, 12:00 ET, LF/Raycom: I’ll be live blogging this game at Tar Heel Mania. How will the Heels respond in their conference opener?

#22 Tennessee vs. #5 Florida, 3:30 ET, CBS: This is what college football is really about: the big-time rivalries. We get our first true rivalry of the season.

#10 Ohio State vs. Washington, 3:30 ET, ESPN: Can Washington pull off the upset? The long answer: maybe. The short answer: no.

#1 USC vs. Nebraska, 8:00 ET, ABC: The Trojans get their first true test, and Nebraska gets a chance to prove, once and for all, if they’re back to being a national power.

#21 Boston College at #15 Georgia Tech, 8:00 ET, ESPN: A big ACC game, Matt Ryan will be pressured early and often against Jon Tenuta and the Georgia Tech defense. If the Heels managed to keep Tenuta as defensive coordinator, John Bunting might still have a job.

Toledo vs, Kansas, 7:00 ET: “The lard bowl”. The only reason to watch this game is for the ultimate, to the death sumo wrestling match between Tom Amstutz and Mark Mangino at halftime.